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03 September 2012

Ecover

I have a confession to make, I think I'm slightly obsessed with doing the washing. I don't know why I love it, but I do. It's the only chore that I actually enjoy doing. How exciting is my life? There's something about hanging freshly washed clothes on the line and letting nature do its business! When I wake up and it's a sunny day, the first thing I think and get excited about is, not going to sit in the park, but that I can hang my washing out. See, weirdo right?

So you can guess my excitement when I was asked to review the new Ecover Zero range?! An excuse to do lots of washing, ok!

I've used Ecover for years, and have always been a fan of their ethics (even the factories are eco!) and products and the fact you can refil your containers over and over, at a cheaper price. It's not just the hippy in me (even though I did use Ecover when I lived in a yurt and washed my clothes in water heated up on a wood burning stove...) that is drawn to these products, it's just that it makes sense. Why would you need to spend your money on something that contains tons of chemicals, and uses lots of packaging, when you could use something that is made with plant based products and has a much lower impact on the environment, AND doesn't cost you the earth to do so.

Another reason is that I have always suffered with eczema since I was a baby, and I have feared that Theo will also suffer. I'm afraid to say that he does suffer from it, but I've got my fingers crossed that he'll grow out of it soon. So using a product that is gentle on our sensitive skin is a number one priority.

I'm going to be honest here and say that when Theo started suffering with eczema I did start to try and find the cause of it, (which is a pretty massive task) and after speaking to a few people I found that some people find that even using Ecover can aggravate the eczema. So I switched to a different make of natural washing detergent, that didn't seem to flare it up as much.

But I was excited to try out Ecovers new Zero range as it promotes being specially for sensitive skin, and approved by Allergy Uk.

I was really pleased when my package arrived, which included washing detergent, fabric softner, washing up liquid, a tea towel, a dishcloth and a cute tote bag. Product aside the dishcloth, towel and bag will be gladly used! The first wash I did using the new detergent was my dirty laundry from Greenman. As you can imagine it was covered in dried on mud which is pretty tough to remove, but I'm pleased to say that it removed pretty much all of the mud and didn't really leave any stains (apart from on a few light coloured pieces that need a little bit of attention) but all in all I was really pleased. The next main challenge was Theo's nappies. As we use re-usable nappies I want a product that could get rid of most of the soilage, and leave them fairly unstained (nothing that the sun can't bleach out) as well as being kind to delicate skin and I'm pleased to say it seems to be doing the job here too!

As for the eczema front, I'm still not sure. Theo seems to be having a flare up at the moment, as am I, but I'm not sure it's directly related to this new detergent. It could just be something else external, or because I stopped breastfeeding, or just because we've changed products. There are so many potential triggering factors with eczema that it's near impossible to pinpoint exactly what makes it bad, it's just a trial and error of eliminating certain things to see if that helps. So for now I'm still definitely going to carry on using it, as I'm pleased with the results!

If you want any more information on Ecover Zero then head over to their website. And if you've not tried Ecover Zero, or even Ecover before then I urge you to give it a go!